2.1" Fossil Ginkgo Leaf From North Dakota - Paleocene

This is a beautiful fossil Gingko leaf of the species Ginkgo adiantoides from the Sentinel Butte Formation of South Dakota. It is finely detailed and the light preservation contrasts well against the dark orangish-brown rock.

During this time on the Paleocene epoch the Ginkgo genus was only represented by a single polymorphic species, Ginkgo adiantoides. This species was distributed in much of the Northern regions of North America which had a hot, humid climate. It's leaves were virtually indistinguishable from modern-day Ginkgo biloba. The species Ginkgo adiantoides went extinct approximately 7 million years ago.